Excavator



(NoModel.) 2 sheetssheen 1.

H. R. KEITHLBY.

BXGMUHQR.l Y

No. 564,696. Paten-ted July 28, 1896.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. R. KEITHLEY BXGAVAT0R- l No. 564,696. Patented July 28, 1896.

w m\A i i l 0J A y m 1 HHH-HHHHHHIHIMI lHHIIIIIHIIilHIIIIHIIHIIHHIIHIHIII HillQ5 @L g uw k K i b UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

HERBERT R. KEITHLEY, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

EXCAVATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part 0f Letters Patent No. 564,696, dated July 28, 1896.

Application filed J une 14, 1895. Serial No. 552,757. (No model.)

To all whont iv' muy concern,.-

Beit known that I, HERBERT' R. KEITHLEY, of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Excavators; andl do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which forni a part of this specication.

This invention relates to improvements in that class of excavating-machines in which a vertically-reciprocatin g cutter, spade, or plow is employed to cut successive perpendicular sections of earth from the end or side walls of the trench or ditch.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved construction in devices of the character referred to; and it consists in the inatter herein set forth and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a sectional side elevation of an excavatingmachine constructed in accordance with my invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are transverse sectional elevations taken on lines 2 2 and 3 3, respectively, of Fig. 1.

In said drawings, A and B designate, respectively, a boiler and engine of any suit.- able or preferred type mounted upon a portable frame or truck C, the wheels c of which run upon longitudinal truck-rails D, that are laid along the opposite sides of the trench or ditch to be excavated'. As herein shown, said truck is composed of upper and lower side beams C and C2, uprights C3, O4, and C5, and upper and lower transverse connecting-beams C( and C7.

E designates a vertically-reciprocating cu tter or plow which is secured to the lower. end of an upright rack-bar F. Said cutter has a sharpened or chisel-like edge and is preferably made of wedge shape in vertical cross-section with a rearwardly-projecting share or blade e, adapted to force the dirt rearwardly as the cutter penetrates the ground. The reciprocating rack or cutter bar Fis guided at its upper portion between the upper transverse connecting-beams C6v and rests against and is guided at its lower portion by the lower connecting-beam G7. As herein shown, said rack-bar is composed of twoparallel side bars fand a series of horizontal crossbolts or trundles f', which connect said side bars and form the teeth of the rack. The rack-barF and attached cutter E are arranged to be raised and lowered by means of a transverse shaft G, which is suitably journaled upon the upper side beams C', and is provided with a pinion G,"that intermeshes with the teeth f of the rack-bar. shown as actuated by a counter-shaft J, having at one end a pinion J', which intermeshes with a second gear G2 on the shaft G, said counter-shaft having at its opposite end a pulley J 2, which is connected with the driving-pulley B' of the engine by a belt J 3.

L designates a horizontally-arranged lever mounted between its ends upon a horizontal pivot l, with its rear end in close proximity to the rack-bar F, its front end being connected by a link l' with the throttle-lever B2 of the engine. The rear end of the lever L is adapted for alternate engagement with upper 'and lower stop-lugs f2 and f 3 on the rack-bar F. As herein shown, the upper stop is formed by theend of an adjustable screw-bolt carried by a forwardly-projecting'lug f4 on the upper end of the rack-bar, while the lower stop f3 consists of a transverse bolt extending between the side bars f, near the lower end of the same. Vith this construction, when the rack-bar reaches the extremity of either its upward or downward movement, one of the stops f2 or f3 will operate through the lever Lto oscillate the throttle-lever and stop the engine. posite direction to reverse the direction of movement'ofv the cutter by the engineer' or attendant. The stop f3 beingbeneath the lever L and at the lower limit of its'movement when the engine is started to lift the cutter, said cutter will rise until the said stop reaches land moves the said lever and the engine is thereby stopped. The action 'of the upper stop f 2 in the descent of the cutter is similar. be driven, or, in other words, the depth of the trench or ditch, will obviously depend upon the point at which the engine is reversed by the stop-screwf2, and may readily be .controlled as desired by adjusting said screw up or down. The opposite ends of thelever L are herein shown as offset laterally to avoid The shaft G is herein The engine is started in the op- The depth to which the cutter will IOO M designates a traveling shield mounted on the truck C behind the cutter E and rackbar F, and comprising parallel side plates M', which engage and support the opposite side walls of the trench, so as to prevent theA same from falling in. Said shield is adjustably supported between the side beams of the truck, so as to be capable of being raised or lowered in accordance with the depth of the trench to be excavated, and in this instance is shown aspivotally supported upon y a transverse bar N, which extends through bearing-blocks m, located on the upper edges of the side plates M', about midway of the length thereof. The bar N is provided at its ends with enlarged heads n, which have screwthreaded engagement with vertical adjustingscrews N", so that when the latter are rotated the bar N and shield M 'will be raised or lowered accordingly. The 'screws N rest at their lower ends in conical sockets formed in bracket-castings n', which are bolted to the lower side beams C2 of the truck, while the upper ends of said lscrews press through bearing-apertures in 'longitudinal bars C8, which connect the upper Nfen'ds of the uprights C* and C5 at each side of 'the frame. The screws N'are adapted to be rotated by rigidly-attached collars n2, having a plurality of peripheral apertures n3, in which theend of an actuating bar or spanner may be inserted. The side plates M' larey held apart against the inward pressure `of the walls of v"thetre'nch by transverse struts M2, which consist of two separate ends or sections which have a telescopic screw-threadedengagement with each other, by means of which saidy struts may be adjusted in length to provide for trenches of greater or less width.

0 designates a second and horizontally-arran ged cutter extending transversely between the side plates M', at the lower front corners thereof. As herein shown, said cutter "consists of a wedge-shaped blade o, 'the lower-surface of which is adapted to rest upon the bottom of the trench and the cutting edge 0' of which faces forwardly and is in this instance located in the same plane with the front edges 'm' of the side plates M', said edges m of the side plates being also herein shown as sharpenedto a cutting edge. At its ends the cutterO is provided with lateral iianges 02, which` engage and are rigidly bolted to the inner face of the side plates M', and, as shown in this instance, the cutter is still further secured by stops 03which are secured to the flanges o and embrace 'the adjacent transverse strut M2. The 'cutter O is designed to cut through `the lower end or base Aof each section of earthafter the latter is cut down by the vertically-reciprocatingcutter E, and 'to this end the said cutter O,l together with the shield M, is forced forward lafter each stroke of the cutter E far enough to detach said earth section. Such forward movement of the cutter and shield is, as a further improvement, herein shown as accomplished by a hydraulic ram P, mounted on the shield M at the lower rear portion thereof. Said ram comprises a cylinder P', provided with a piston p, the piston-rod p' of which projects out through the rear head of the cylinder and is adapted to react against a stationary crossbar Q, or any other 'fixed abutment, to force the shield forward. The front end of the cylinder P' is connected by a supply-pipe P2 with the discharge-chamber of a pump R, which in this instance is an ordinary steampump located on the truck C in kproximity to the rest of the operating machinery. The discharge from the cylinder P' takes place through a valved passage p2, which connects the front end of said cylinder with a subjacent tank P3, the latter being in turn connected with the suction-chamber of the pump R by a pipe Pt. The valve p3 of said discharge-passage@2 is arranged to open automatically when the piston p reaches the outer limit of its stroke, and to this end is provided with a radial arm p4, to which arearwardlyextending link p5 is attached. The rear end of said link extends beneath the outer or rear end of the piston-rod p', and the latter is provided at its extremity with a downwardlyprojecting rigid arm p6. VA lateral ystud or pin p7 projects from the lower end of the arm p6 through a slot p8 in the link p5, and is arranged to engage the rear end of said slot and open the valve p3 just 'asthe piston reaches the end of its outward stroke.

As herein shown, the ram Pris adjustably supported between vertical side bars P5, which are mounted upon the adjacent struts M2 'of the shield, said bars P5 being provided with vertical slots p9, which are adapted to be 'engaged by clamping-bolts p10 on the ram. When said bolts p10 are loosened, the ram is arranged to be raised 'or lowered as'desir'ed by means of vertical adjusting-screws p and 12 which are mounted in lateral lud's 13"and- 29 s P p14, that project from the en'ds'of the side bars P5. P4 are provided with flexible sections p15 and p16, by reason of which the raising 'and lowering of the ram on the shield or of the-shield in the frame does not interfere with its connections with the pump. Said pump R isarranged to be alternately thrown into 'and out of 'opera-tion by means of the same stop-pin ffl which serves to oscillate the lever L in the upward movement of the Vcutter E, the construction to this end being as follows:

r designates a bell-crank lever provided at its rear end with -a bi'furcated fork r'. vThe upper end of the bell-crank is attached by a link-bar r2 with the throttle R' of the pump, so as to alternately 4open and close the latter as the bell-crank lever is oscillated, The

The supply and discharge pipes P2 yand ICO IIO

stop-pin f8 enters the bifurcated endQof the bell-crank lever just as the cutter E is raised clear of the ground, and after oscillating said' lever, so as to admit steam to the pump, continues its upward movement until it strikes the lever L and stops the engine in the manner before described. The starting of the pump forces water through the pipe P2 to the cylinder P of the ram and causes the piston of the latter to move rearwardly to the limit of its stroke. Said piston is of course prevented from actual movement with respect to the ground by the cross-bar or abutment Q, against which the outer end of the piston-rod rests, and the reaction of lthe piston on the ram serves instead to force the latter forward, together with the shield M on which it is mounted. Said forward movement of vthe shield obviously forces the transverse cutter O through the base of the earth section previously detached by the cutter E and leaves the same in condition to be readily removed. The forward movement of the shield is also in this instance utilized to force the entire machine forward, such result being naturally produced by the .forward pressure of the shield on its supporting-bar N due to the resistance offered by the earth to the advance of the cutter O. In order, however, to render this operation more certain, said shield is herein shown as provided at its upper edge with adjustable-wedges m3, which are adapted to en gage a transverse bar m4, that is adapted to be inserted in any one of a vertical series of apertures'm5 in the upright C4 of the frame. Said bar is placedV in the nearest superadjacent aperture, after the shield is adjusted to the depth required, and the wedges are then forced forward by adj Listing-screws m6 until they are brought into contact with said bar. By this construction it is obvious that the shield Awill be prevented from swinging forward on its supporting-bar N, and consequently the shield and frame will move forward together under the pressure of the ram P. As the piston of the latter reaches the outer limit of its stroke the valve p3 will 'be opened in the manner before described and permit the water to pass downwardly into the tank P3, thus relieving said piston from pressure. The piston-rod mayv then be forced back by an attendant and the timber Q moved forward in preparation for the succeeding stroke. The pump R in the meantime will continue to operate until the stop-pin f3 de.

scends and by its engagement with the'bifurcated end of the bell-crank lever r shuts off steam therefrom; but such operation will obviously merely cause the water to circulate from the pump through the cylinder P to the tank P3 and from the latter back to the pump through the pipe P4. The piston-rod p of the ram is herein shown as terminating at its outer end in an enlarged head p17, by which an ample bearing is afforded against the timber Q, and it will be understood that instead of moving the said timber after each forward movement of the machine any suitable bloc'king may be'inserted'between the timberand the head of the piston-rod to afford the necessary positive resistance to the ram. Y

For the purpose of removing the earth detached by the cutters E and O, as hereinbefore described, the excavator is herein shown as provided with an endless carrier S, which in this instance is formed by a sprocket-chain S, provided with two separate sets of buckets s. The buckets of each set are herein shown as two in number, and the two sets are so located on the sprocket-chain as to be separated from each other by the length of the carrier. The chain S' is mounted upon sprocketwheels s' and s2, of which the former is supported upon a transverse shaft s3, located as closely above and to the rear of the cutter O as will permit the passage of the buckets aronn d the pulley. The upper sprocketwheel s2 is herein shown as supported upon a transverse shaft s4, carried between upwardly and rearwardly projecting bracket-arms S5', which are bolted to the side plates M vof the shield. Said shaft s4 is provided at its outer end with a driving-pulley S2, which is con- Vnected with a pulley g3 on the shaft G by means of a belt or. sprocket-chain S3. A backing-ratchet s6 is inserted between the pulley S2 and its shaft and is so arranged that the conveyer will be actuated only during the upward movement of the'cutter E, and the location of the buckets on the chain is such that the same will rest during their intermediate movement at the upper and lower ends of the conveyer in the positions shown in Fig. l.

The discharge through the buckets s is received by a dump-car T, which, as herein shown, is arranged to travelupon tracks c', that extend upwardly and rearwardly over the trucks C and are rigidly connected therewith. Said car T is pulled up the incline by a ropet, which passes over a pulley T at the rear of said track and is wound on a drum G4 on the end of shaft G. The bottom T2 of the car is shown as hinged -at its front end to the body of the car and is supported at its rear end by a wheel t2, which runs upon a separate track c2, placed between the tracks c and extending parallel therewith near its rear end. Said inner track is inclined sharply downward at its rear end, so that as the car reaches its rear end of its path of movement its bottom T2 will swing down anddischarge just reached the forward limit of its move ment and will stand in positioni to receive the;

contents of said buckets.

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The excavating-machine thus described is particularly well adapted for use in excavating trenches of relatively great depth, such, for example, as those required in the laying of sewers or similar pipes or conduits 5 but such machines may obviously also be employed in any other service for which they are deemed suitable.

I claim as my inventionl. An excavating-machine comprising` a main frame adapted to travel along the ground, a vertically-reciprocating cutter mounted in said frame, a shield rigidly secured in said frame and comprising opposite side plates adapted to engage and support the side walls of the trench, a transverse cutter rigidly secured between the lower front corners of said plates and means for advancing the entire machine after each stroke of the reciprocating cutter, substantially as described.

2. In an excavating-machine the combination with a vertically-reciprocating spade or cutter, of a second and horizontally-movable cutter located at the bottom of the trench behind the vertical cutter, and means embracing a hydraulic-pressure device for forcing forward the second cutter, substantially as described.

3. In an excavating-machine the combination with a vertically-reciprocating spade or cutter of a shield provided with side plates adapt-ed to engage and support the side walls of the trench behind said cutter, a second cutter extending transversely between said side plates, and means embracing a hydraulicpressure device for forcing forward said second cutter, substantially as described.

4. In an excavating-machine the combination with a vertically-movable spade or cutter, of a shield provided with side plates adapted to support the side walls of the trench behind said cutter, a second cutter extending transversely between the side plates at the lower front corners thereof, and means embracing a hydraulic-pressure device for forcing forward the shield, substantially as described.

5. In an excavating-machine the combination with a vertically-movable spade or cutter, of a shield provided with side plates adapted to support the side walls of the trench behind said cutter, a second cutter extending transversely between the side plates at the lower front corners thereof, and a hydraulic ram carried by said side plates and adapted to act against a stationary bar or abutment at the rear of the shield to force the latter forward, substantially as described.

6. In an excavating-machine the combination with a vertically-reciprocating spade or cutter, of asecond and horizontally-movable cutter located at the bottom of the trench behind the vertically-movable cutter, means for forcing forward the second cutter, and an endless conveyer extending upwardly from the vicinity of said second cutter, substantially as described.

7. In an excavating-machine the combination with a vertically-reciprocating spade or cutter, of a shield provided with side plates adapted to engage the walls of the trench behind said cutter, a second cutter extending transversely between said side plates at the lower front corners thereof, means for forcing forward said shield, and an endless conveyer mounted between the side plates and extending upwardly from the vicinity of the second cutter, substantially as described.

8. In an excavating-machine the combination with a vertically-reciprocating spade or cutter, of a second and horizontally-movable cutter located at the bottom of the trench behind the vertically-movable cutter, means embracing a hydraulic-pressure device for forcing forward the second cutter, and an endless conveyer extending upwardly from the vicinity of said second,` cutter, substantially as described.

9. The combination with a vertically-reciprocatin g spade or cutter, of a shield provided with side plates adapted to engage the walls of the trench behind the spade or cutter, a second cutter extending transversely between said side plates at the lower front corners thereof, means embracing a hydraulic-pressure device for forcing forward said shield, and an endless conveyer mounted between the side plates and extending upwardly from the vicinity of the second cutter, substantially as described.

l0. The combination with the vertically-reciprocating cutter, of a shield provided with side plates adapted to support the side walls of the trench behind said cutter, a second cutter extending transversely between the side plates at the lower front corners thereof, a hydraulic ram carried by the side plates and adapted to act against a stationary bar or abutment at the rear of the shield, and an endless conveyer mounted between the side plates and extending upwardly from the Vicinity of the second cutter, substantially as described.

l1. The combination with a vertically-reciprocating cutter, and a second and horizontally-movable cutter mounted behind the first cutter and at the lower end of the path of movement thereof, of an endless conveyer extending upwardly from the vicinity of the second cutter and means for intermittingly actuating the conveyer during the upstrokes of the first cutter, substantially as described.

l2. In an excavating-machine the combination with a vertically-reciprocating cutter, a rack-bar secured thereto, a shaft provided with a pinion intermeshing with said rackbar and means for rotating said shaft alternately in opposite direct-ions, of an endless carrier for removing dirt from the trench, driving and supporting wheels for said carrier andv drivinfr connections includinur a J b b IOO IIO

backing-ratchet between the rack-bar-actuating shaft and carrier-driving wheel, whereby said carrier is intermittingly actuated during a part of each full reciprocation of the cutter, substantially as described.

13. In an excavating-machine the combination with a vertically-reciprocating cutter, a rack-bar secured thereto, a shaft provided with a pinion intermeshing with said rackbar, and means for rotating said shaft alternately in opposite directions, of an endless carrier for removing dirt from the trench provided with two separated sets of buckets, driving and supporting wheels for said carrier, and driving connections including a backing-ratchet between the rack-bar-actuating shaft and the carrier-driving wheel, substantially as described.

14. In an excavating-machine the combination with a vertically-reciprocating cutter of a second and horizontally-movable' cutter located at the bottom of the trench behind the vertical cutter, a hydraulic ram for forcing forward said second cutter, a pump for operating said ram, and means for throwing said pump into and out of operation in each reciprocation of the first cutter, substantially as described.

15. In an excavating-machine the combination with a vertically-reciprocating cutter, of a second horizontally-movable cutter located at the bottom of the trench behind the vertical cutter, a hydraulic ram for forcing forward said second cutter, a pump for operating said ram, an oscillatory lever connected with the throttle-valve of the pump, and a stop attached to the vertically-movable cutter adapted to oscillate said lever, substantially as described.

16. In an excavating-machine the combination with a vertically-reciprocating cutter, of a second and horizontally-movable cutter located at the bottom of the trench behind the vertical cutter, a hydraulic ram for forcing forward said second cutter, said ram comprising a hydraulic cylinder and supply-pipe opening into one end of said cylinder, a discharge-passage opening out of the same end of the cylinder, a valve controlling said discharge-passage, means for opening said valve when the piston reaches the outer end of its stroke, and means for supplying water under pressure to said cylinder, substantially as described.

17. An excavating-machine provided with a horizontally-movable cutter, a hydraulic ram for forcing forward said cutter, said ram comprising a cylinder and piston, a supplypipe entering at one end of the cylinder, a valved discharge-passage opening out of said cylinder into a subjacent tank, a piston-rod projecting from the cylinder, avalve-operating link extending from the discharge-valve toward the outer end of the piston-rod, a projection on said piston-rod engaging a slot in said link whereby the discharge valve is opened at the end of the outward stroke of the piston, and a pump provided with discharge and suction chambers connected respectively with the supply and discharge ports of the hydraulic cylinder, substantially as described.

18. In an excavating-machine the combination with a reciprocating spade or cutter of an engine for actuating said cutter and means for automatically stopping the engine when the cutter reaches the limit of its movement in each direction, substantially as described.

19. In an excavating-machine the combination with a reciprocating spade or cutter of an engine for actuating said cutter, operative connections with the throttle-valve of the engine and means connected with the cutter for moving said operative connections to close the throttle-valve when the cutter reaches the limit of its stroke in each direction, substantially as described.

20. In an excavating-machine the combination with a reciprocating spade or cutter and a rack-bar secured thereto of a pinion intermeshing with said rack-bar, an engine for rotating said pinion alternately in opposite directions, stops on said rack-bar, an oscillatory lever projecting into the path of said stops and connections between the lever and the throttle-valve of the engine whereby the latter is closed when the cutter reaches the limit of its movement in each direction, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as iny invention I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 13th day of .I une, A. D. 1895.

HERBERT R. KEITHLEY.

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